


hide you in my treasure chest

by makeashadow_ao3



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: AH/AU, Bonkai, F/M, Heavy pining, Roommates, Study Buddies, it gets a little trope-y, jock!kai and nerd!bonnie, kai has a band and i wanna be his groupie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:13:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25082167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makeashadow_ao3/pseuds/makeashadow_ao3
Summary: “You’re not gonna make me regret doing this, are you, Parker?”“Oh, I plan on it.” He wags his brows.
Relationships: Bonnie Bennett/Ben McKittrick, Bonnie Bennett/Malachai "Kai" Parker, Jeremy Gilbert/Annabelle "Anna" Zhu (Mentioned), Nora Hildegard/Mary Louise
Comments: 16
Kudos: 69





	hide you in my treasure chest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [donutworry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/donutworry/gifts), [hopemikaelsn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopemikaelsn/gifts).



> dedicated to my two (2) cheerleaders, donutworry (allie) and foxglovechangeling (jess)! i would not and could not have written this without them. this is the first thing i've written in a while and dag nabbit! i had fun!
> 
> am i a sommelier? no. do i have a good palate for wine? also no. i’m just a Black southern gal who likes cheap wine and some goddamn grapes (:
> 
> all mistakes are mine
> 
> title from billie eilish's "hostage". again, bc my brand™

With a wedding on the grounds, Bonnie hides out in the one place she won’t be bothered. 

The gift shop. 

There, surrounded by bottles of wine and trinkets and shirts all bearing her surname, she can relax and catch up on her courseload. It looks bad, her multicolored index cards spread out next to the register, textbook and notes beside them, but she’s been slacking lately. That tends to happen when she’s around family and good drink. 

The lo-fi music streaming through her headphones dims, an incoming call disrupting her peace. When she sees the name, she almost ignores it but decides against it. Her greeting is none too nice, though. “What do you want? I’m busy.”

“Hello to you, too, Bonnie,” he purrs her name, dulcet tones vibrating the shell of her ear. She shivers then shakes it off. “I want to present you with a hypothetical.”

She drops her elbow on the open page of her Criminal Justice textbook and frowns. “Okay…” 

“If I wasn’t on the baseball team, would you still tutor me?”

“Depends. Would the athletic department still be paying me to?”

“If they didn’t,” he trails off, his voice with its ever-present amused tilt.

“Why wouldn’t they?”

Whitmore College’s athletic department sought out the poli-sci, pre-law student to tutor their pitcher. She wasn’t looking into any work study, she barely had any school spirit beyond attending her grandmother’s alma mater, but they wanted _her_. It was a position any other tutor would’ve killed for. 

Not that Kai Parker needed any academic help. Not only is he a star athlete, he’s made the Dean’s list every semester. It’s just easy money.

“Theoretically speaking, if I got injured and was out the rest of the season, maybe even the rest of my career-”

“This doesn’t sound so hypothetical anymore, but it’s not like you need the help. Some of us actually do have to work for the grades we get, so what’s going on?”

“You’re studying? On spring break? That’s so like you.” There’s a scoff then a beleaguered sigh on the other end of the line. “These drugs are quick, I’ll tell you that.”

“What drugs?” It’s just her luck big man on campus calls her high as a kite on designer molly or weed where the hell he’s vacationing. 

“The sedatives they gave me before this surgery.”

“Surger-”

“I tore my rotator cuff at practice and they’re gonna go in and fix me right up. Good as new! Except I know the horror stories. I probably won’t be able to get my fast ball up to ninety-eight miles an hour ever again.” His rambling comes to an abrupt halt, a voice calling for him. “Looks like they’re ready for me.”

She scratches her forehead under a fringe of straight bangs. “So much for a hypothetical…”

“You’re not gonna drop me, are you, Bon?”

“Gee, I dunno. Depends on if you wake up from the anesthesia.”

“That’s not funny.” 

Still, she chuckles. “Sweet dreams, Parker.”

News of Kai’s accident spreads before break ends, campus all abuzz. Only the official story is different than what Bonnie got on the phone. Still, like clockwork, he finds her situated at their table in a corner nook of the library. He swings his bookbag off his left shoulder, his right arm in a tight sling. 

“At first, I thought you were fucking with me,” Bonnie starts, pushing her reading glasses up the bridge of her nose. “But then your coach called.”

“What, didn’t you get my text?”

She snorts. The text in question was a picture of an older white man, who is obviously not Kai, in a hospital bed with the caption “ _I lived, bitch_ ”. “Oh, that?”

He gives her a lopsided grin before wincing, his sling snagging on the back of the wooden chair. “An athlete with plans to go pro never jokes about a sports injury. It’s bad juju.”

Bonnie watches as he pulls his notebook from his bag along with a pen he tucked away in his sling and settles in. There’s a strange fluidity in his movements until she comes to a belated conclusion. 

He’s ambidextrous. 

“If McNamara called you, I’m gonna assume he relieved you of your services.”

“He did. He also said you broke the assistant coach's jaw.”

“And yet, you’re here.” He eyes her then blows out a breath of air. "You want the truth or the pretty press release tied with a red ribbon?"

"Humor me."

Kai cocks his head to one side then the other. "The guy kept hitting on my little sister. We had words and when polite talks fell apart, his face met my fist."

"Was it worth messing up your shoulder?"

His mouth breaks into a full grin. "What do you think? Besides, you still came."

She shrugs then tucks a strand of black hair behind her ear. “We have the same International Relations class. Don’t think too hard on it.”

They hold each other’s gaze for a moment longer, both feeling pretty satisfied with themselves but biting back their own smiles. Bonnie breaks first, hands cutting her deck of index cards in half and sliding over the bottom set so they can review vocabulary terms.

Kai is one of very few people who know Bonnie’s secret. Her family is loaded. Not only was her grandmother a tenured professor at this college before retiring, but there is an assload of Bennett owned land in North Carolina where acres of muscadine grapes are grown and harvested into fruit wine. 

Still, she keeps her head down and works for every point of her GPA. She does, however, live in the dorm designated for “legacies” and that’s where he finds her. He doesn’t expect to find her seated on the floor outside of her room door, though. Textbook in lap, purple headphones perched on her head. 

She looks as if she accidentally locked herself out. Then he sees it. The sock on the doorknob.

He slides down the wall opposite her, his legs bending at the knees. She glances up then rolls her eyes. Tucking one side of her headphones behind her ear, she gives him a stern warning. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say a word.”

And he doesn’t mock her or her situation with her shitty roommate, whose older boyfriend always pops up at the most unexpected times. But he knows. She’s told him in so many words and so many ways. How he’s happened upon her at cafes and late night diners and the library at all hours of night studying when really she’s just been kicked out for one reason or another.

“Wanna get out of here?”

Her apprehension is apparent, green eyes squinting. “Don’t you have physical therapy or something?”

“Or something.”

She debates it. He can’t kill her or hurt her. His shoulder is an obvious weakness she could exploit if need be, and he doesn’t know enough about her to embarrass her. She stuffs her things in her messenger bag. “What the hell.”

They shuffle to their feet, and she follows him outside to his expensive looking Jeep. She climbs in and, instead of heaps of dirty baseball uniforms and equipment, there are two guitar cases in the backseat. Her eyebrows arch in curiosity. He only grins in response. 

  
  
  


Kai’s _or something_ turns out to be an empty bar. She helps carry in the guitars, setting one case down on the makeshift stage. Other instruments are strewn around and conversation drifts from offstage. She’s proven right when bodies matching the voices move into view, going for their respectively instruments.

He comes up behind her with the other case, so she turns to him with a cutting glare. “You’re in a band, too?”

“Was that not obvious? We’re all over insta.”

“Dude, this is a closed rehearsal,” a gruff voice calls out to them. “No girls allowed.” Squinting against the glare of the stage lights, Bonnie makes out Jeremy Gilbert tuning his bass. Great, she escaped one Gilbert for her brother. 

“No, let her stay,” an English accent cuts in. A woman in a strappy black tank and black shorts sets up behind the drum kit. “If Kai wants to embarrass himself, who are we to stop ‘im?” She flips her dark, wavy hair, bright hazel eyes glinting with a mischievous look comparable to Kai’s.

A blond guy Bonnie isn’t familiar with smirks from behind his keyboard. “All I have to do is show her that picture of Kai splitting his pants when he played Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie when he and Jo were twelve.” 

“Ha ha, I hate you all,” he deadpans. 

Bonnie turns away from the band, her head bowing towards Kai. “I can go. There’s a Starbucks down the-”

“No, you needed something to do so you stopped looking so damn pathetic and I need a groupie.”

She gives him a dead-eyed glare. "Gee, thanks."

“Grab a beer from the fridge, sit, relax. I promise no one here expects you to throw your bra at us.”

“Speak for yourself, Parker.” Nora winks.

Cheeks burning red, Bonnie clears her throat, drops her bag on the bar, and makes a beeline for the fridge.

She’s not a groupie, she asserts, but that doesn’t stop her from stealing his phone and recording snippets of their rehearsal to post on the band’s socials. They care about their loyal group of fans and those fans care about the lead singer’s recovery. 

The comments are a constant thread of Kai compliments. 

It’d be a family band if not for Jeremy’s involvement, who isn’t half as bad as she thought he’d be. His reputation of being a legacy who dropped out his freshman year to focus on his art and join a garage band precede him. Nora, Kai’s cousin, joined to live out her rock star fantasies and Luke, his younger brother, has far less familial expectations on his shoulders. He’s in it for the free booze.

“I’m guessing Greytundra is your back up plan?”

“Nah, that’s business school. The band is a distraction. Something to do.”

Bonnie crosses the wide dorm room with two plastic cups filled with wine. “Don’t let your fangirls hear you say that. They’ll question your commitment to sparkle motion.”

He takes a gulp from his cup then puckers. It’s a reaction she expects. Her family doesn’t own some basic, run of the mill winery.

“Muscadines are an acquired taste, I know.”

“It’s not bad, just...bold. Different.” He clears his throat, give it a whiff, and then takes another sip. It goes down easier, but she smirks while watching.

“Sorry. It’s the only thing of mine ‘lena’s boyfriend won’t drink. And it is supposed to be served chilled, but…” 

She plops down on her twin bed beside him and bumps his bad shoulder. “If you don’t like it, just say so. I won’t hold it against you. My mom, Grams, and cousin Lucy will, though. Oh, and Jamie.”

“Who’s Jamie?”

“One of the guys who works at the winery. He’s like a son to my mom.”

“Oh, so like a brother to you?”

“I never said that,” she says with a sly grin before taking a sip from her cup. His scrutinizing gaze stays trained on her profile as she drinks. Then, competitively, he downs the rest of his wine followed by a triumphant huff.

Bonnie succumbs to a fit of giggles. She blames the wine. It reminds her of home and family and a lot of good memories she holds onto when far from them. It both makes her feel closer to and miss them that much more. Plus, Kai makes her _nervous_. He's a wild card, never properly fitting into any boxes.

“I think you should live with me,” he blurts. 

“You wish,” she snorts. When met by silence and an unenthused expression, she sobers up with an outright grimace. “You’re serious?”

“Well, I was. I figured my place is paid up until the end of term, you’re in a less than ideal living situation here, and Nora is about to move in with her girlfriend. It’d be a win, win.”

“Elena’s not all that bad. It’s her...libido.”

“Wow, Bon. That almost sounded slut shame-y.”

He’s awarded with another one of her no-nonsense looks before she deepens her frown. “Why me? Of all people?”

“I don’t actually like most people?” he says tentatively, as if he’s given her the wrong impression of who he really is.

She stands up, their own little world on the edge of her bed becoming claustrophobic. “You’re in a band. And you play team sports. You’re a business major.”

“All of which have to do with developing skill sets and very little to do with being a people person. I’m sorry. What does this have to do with me needing a new roommate?”

She takes a steadying drink before she responds. “I didn’t think we were friends.”

The admission takes the air out of the room in a way neither expects. She rushes to bandage the wound. “I mean, you’re cool and kind of weird but funny and studying with you isn’t the worst thing in the world. I guess I’ve just been waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“What shoe?”

“The one where I find out this is an elaborate prank. That there’s some cruel instagram page I don’t know about secretly documenting any time we interact. The popular jock takes interest in the quiet nerd? C’mon, there are tons of movies with this exact premise.”

He scrubs his hand down his face. 

“You watch too much TV, Bennett. I just need someone to split the rent with over the summer and maybe next semester, and you’re always so gung ho about paying your share. I didn’t think I’d have to haggle you when the water bill comes due. I mean, when have you ever let me pay for coffee?”

“Okay, fine.” Suddenly feeling very naked in her campus hoodie and denim shorts, she crosses her arms and averts her eyes. “I’ll move in with you.”

Biting back a grin, Kai stands to his feet and steps forward. Her emerald eyes track his approach until they’re toe to toe. Well, steel toed boots to moto boots. “You’re not a nerd. You’re pre-law.”

“I wear reading glasses.”

“It’s hot. Librarian hot.”

He earns an exaggerated eye roll for that. Moving past her, he goes for the wine bottle. “What kind of grapes did you say these were again?”

Moving day comes soon than anyone expects. Kai is still nursing his shoulder. As much as he would love to help, he settles for barking orders at his bandmates. Beyond clothes, books, toiletries, and a few stray wine bottles, Bonnie doesn’t have much to move. It’s more about what Nora is taking with her, though thankfully she is leaving her bedroom furniture. 

Still, they make a full afternoon out of it. Kai orders pizza and Bonnie supplies the wine, which Jeremy loves and Kai is getting used to, and beer, which the west coasters apologetically prefer. 

“Mm!” Bonnie exclaims, half a pepperoni slice pinched between her lips. The group gives her funny looks when she maneuvers through stacks of boxes and disappears into her new room. She comes back with a tie dyed tote bag. 

“My Grams sent these as a thank you. She never liked Elena. Sorry, Jer.”

“A mood!” Nora yells before burping into her fist. 

Bonnie tosses them thick, rolled up fabric tied with purple ribbon. They each unveil their own personalized, black baseball jerseys with their last names across the upper back in white. A small Bennett Vineyard & Winery patch is handsewn on the lapels. 

She quickly apologizes being one short, but Nora’s girlfriend Mary Louise waves her hand. “I’ll be wearing this more than she will, I’m sure.”

When she turns to Kai, he’s noticeably quiet. The jersey may have been a bad choice, she realizes now, but he wordlessly sticks his arms through the short sleeves and continues scarfing down a bowl of chips. 

  
  
  


Empty beer bottles and paper plates litter the living room, but Kai’s on the couch with his guitar on his lap picking at the strings. He strums a familiar tune until he starts to sing. “ _I want to… I want to be someone else or I’ll explode. Floating upon the surface for the birds._ ” 

His tone is scratchy, in a register higher than she’s heard him sing before, but he’s more focused on the chords. “ _You want me… Fuckin’ well come and fi-ind me. I’ll be waiting… With a gun and pack of sandwiches. And nothing._ ”

He hasn’t said much since Bonnie’s surprise gift or their friends leaving, and now that they’re alone she needs to broach the silence. “That’s from Romeo and Juliet.”

“By way of Radiohead.”

She scoops up the paper plates and balled up napkins. “This is what I get to look forward to? Being serenaded with obscure nineties songs?”

“When the mood strikes.” He smirks, sets his guitar aside, and stands to help clean. He trashes the beer bottles then moves to wash the dishes in the sink. 

“You’re not gonna make me regret doing this, are you, Parker?”

“Oh, I plan on it.” He wags his brows. “It’s a part of my big scheme, remember?” 

“Be serious.” She sets the trashbag down and pinches the sleeve of his shirt. “If this shirt was too much, I’m sor-”

“No, it’s mine. I love it, back off.” He childishly spins out of her reach. He flicks her with water and she glares, her lips in a tight pout.

His reaction eases some of her anxiety, but it unearths apprehensions she’d tried to ignore. Like, living with a guy who isn’t a step-sibling-esque person. Especially a guy like Kai. Popular and smart and handsome with secret standards she’ll only find out about once they get into a routine. _Their_ routine. 

And then there’s the awkwardness if one of them has a date over… Okay, if _Kai_ has a date over. Bonnie hasn’t had a real relationship since she was in high school. 

This is going to be a huge mistake, she thinks. 

Final exams keep Bonnie and Kai from enjoying the newness of their living situation. Study sessions happen over home-cooked dinners in the living room complete with flash card reviews instead of a crowded library, but their class schedules don’t coincide the way they thought. Their days end up so full they only see each other first thing in the mornings and at the end of the day.

Splitting bills is the easy part. It’s the living part that gets complicated. They share a single bathroom, Kai often running the sink when brushing his teeth while Bonnie’s in the shower. For a girl who doesn’t cook much, she eats a lot so Kai learns to leave a list for when she goes grocery shopping. 

Quickly losing her modesty, she gets comfortable walking around the apartment wrapped in a towel after a bath or in an oversized shirt and panties, just as Kai has no problem being shirtless constantly or lazing about in a t-shirt and boxer briefs. Sure, she notices his lingering sideways glances. She’s guilty of looking a moment too long as well, but it’s unspoken and it’s fine. It’s totally fine.

Neither have dates over, though they both know he isn’t lacking in interested parties. Bonnie sees the comments on the band’s posts. 

No, they spend their evenings and weekends in, studying or watching shitty reality television shows. Usually the ones where contestants are in the wilderness doing weird things. Especially if the person has to be afraid and naked.

It’s weirdly domestic and nothing like what she expected. 

With physical therapy taking the place of baseball, and Bonnie having little patience and less sleep, they’re both buzzed on caffeine and immensely grateful for the end of the semester. 

  
  


Legs tucked under her, eyes rove over notes in preparation for a last exam while spooning lo mein noodles into her mouth with chopsticks. She’s beginning to think her notebook is filled with indecipherable hieroglyphics when Kai barges in through the front door. He’s on his phone and whatever conversation he’s having is a good one, a really good one. He’s responding with a lot of affirmative phrases and head nods only Bonnie can see. 

He clicks off the call and holds his good arm out wide in some kind of victory. Instinctively, she thinks he’s going to announce being cleared for summer conditioning when he says, “We booked a tour!” 

Bonnie’s eyebrows rise at his expectancy. “Cool.”

“That’s it?”

She gulps down the noodles in her mouth. “Really cool!” 

His arms drop and he plops down on the couch. “You know, Greytundra’s number one groupie should show a little more enthusiasm.”

“Not your groupie. And I’m happy for the band! A tour is big!” 

Her smile widens, but Kai narrows his gaze. “But?”

“No buts. ...I just wonder if it’s too soon since your surgery.”

“It’s a short tour. East coast dates and we’ll be playing intimate venues, so we’ll keep our set list lowkey. Plus, I’ve got all the stretches I’m supposed to do. And my physical therapist is a text away, Mom.”

“I wish my mom worried about me like this, but whatever.”

Bonnie’s worry isn’t eased. He’s tried to hide it, but she’s seen him struggle. She plasters on a smile anyway and rises from her spot on the area rug. “We’re gonna definitely celebrate. I’m going to make Sheila Bennett’s famous sangria. It’s a secret family recipe, the only one we don’t sell.”

“Secret recipe? Pour moi?”

“Please. This batch will last me half the summer. Or, a week or two depending.”

  
  
  


“You do not,” he gapes. 

She nods, choking back laughter. She rotates, turning her back to Kai, then lifts the hem of her shirt. A small, yellow animated character leaps off of her brown skin, electric charges shooting in every direction. “Not the kind of tramp stamp you were expecting, is it?”

He licks his lips. “Bonnie. Sheila. Bennett.”

“Nuh uh. My family doesn’t even know about it.”

His jaw drops. “What? Who wouldn’t shout from the rooftops about their Pokemon lower back tattoo?”

“Come on.” She rolls her eyes. “I was sixteen and pissed at my dad for moving us to Vegas. Some girl did it in the back of her boyfriend’s autobody shop.”

“Well, the work is impeccable. Some fine artistry right there.” He lifts his cup to his lips then mumbles against the rim, “You rebel, you.”

The sangria was a tad heavy-handed, but they feel no pain. They ate through all the leftovers in the fridge and migrated to Bonnie’s room when she brought out the few polaroids of her family she keeps. Even a couple baby pictures. 

She settles beside him, the two students stretched out on the floor propped against the foot of Bonnie’s bed. “You know, I now know Luke and unfortunately am acquainted with Liv. You mention your twin sometimes, but you never talk about your parents.”

“What’s to say? Mom’s dead, Dad sucks. What about you?”

“Dad’s dead, Mom sucks. But my Grams is great. I think she’d like you.”

He winces. “I am not great with parents. Kids, though. Babies love me.”

Bonnie moves to her knees and perches besides him, takes in Kai’s whole face. His eyes cut to meet hers, lit with curiosity and wonder. Thick brows furrow at her obvious staring. He gulps, throat bobbing. “What?”

“I told you my deep, dark secret. It’s your turn, roomie.”

“A tattoo of Pikachu is hardly deep or dark.” He downs what’s left in his cup. “Fine. I’m actually kind of glad I fucked up my shoulder. If I never touch another baseball, it’ll be too soon.”

She frowns, wiping her bangs out of her eyes. “That is dark.”

“My dad had all this pressure on me to go pro. Didn’t matter if I liked baseball or not. Didn’t matter if I was even good at it. _Hard work can overcome anything._ He never really paid me much attention beyond tossing a ball and swinging a bat. I used to think it’s because he and I are just so different, but Jo says we’re a lot alike. He just hates looking in the mirror.”

“Daddy issues,” she hums. “To that, I can relate.”

“That why you study so hard? Trying to run from family expectations?”

“No.” She gazes down into her own cup, bits of mushy strawberries swirling around. “I wanted to see if I could do it. The easy life would’ve been to enter the family business. But… Where’s the fun?”

“Fine wine, good weather, happy family? _Yuck_. Who wants that?”

She goes to throw a punch at his shoulder, but her hand lingers there. Muscles flinch under her palm, to which she gives a tender squeeze. “Promise you’ll take care of yourself when you leave. Baseball or band or business, we need you in one piece.”

“We?”

Holding his probing gaze, she places the tip of her index finger to her nose. He mimics the movement before pulling her into a hug. Her body crosses his lap, chin tucking into his neck.

“Phase two: complete,” he mumbles and she can’t help but cackle in his ear. She leans back, wonders aloud what phase one was. “Ruining my shoulder so I could spend more time with you.”

“You know,” her voice lowers, their faces close. “In most of those scheme-y movies, the plan backfires on the guy before the girl falls in too deep. At this rate, you’re probably half in love with me and don’t even realize it.”

“Lucky for you, I’m exceptionally self-aware.”

Smirking, she untangles herself from him. Excusing herself to pee puts exactly the amount of space between them that she needs to clear her head. 

It pisses Bonnie off and she has no idea why. 

Luke and Nora load up Mary Louise’s aunt’s SUV when Jeremy pulls up with Elena in the passenger seat. Apparently, at the last minute the elder Gilbert invited herself along. “I can be a roadie or a groupie. Do you need a tour manager?”

“Job’s taken,” Mary Louise quickly speaks up.

“Social media, then.” 

No one argues.

“What happened to your stage five clinger boy toy?” Kai asks. It’s more for Bonnie’s sake. She’s gone mute since her previous roommate’s arrival.

“We’re taking a much needed break. He wanted me to move in with him for the summer.” She twirls her hair into a bun and places her hands on her hips. “Jer said you guys are going for the full rock and roll experience, and I want in.”

“Yeah,” Luke passes her hefting two duffels. “Shitty SUV, shitty motels, shitty diner food. Enough cut from the door for gas to the next date. It’ll be a rager.”

Bonnie smirks at his sarcasm flying right over Elena’s head. The tall brunette claps her hands together in excitement, as if that’s her invitation. She turns to Bonnie, who’s been silent from her spot perched on the curb between the cars. “You’re coming too, right?”

“I have summer classes.”

Elena leans forward, grabs Bonnie’s hands, and yanks her to her feet. “You’ve got to learn to live a little, girl!”

“Aren’t you going into nursing?”

“Yeah, but I’m practically a shoe-in to the program considering who my dad is. That’s basically the point of being a legacy.”

“Sure…” She looks to Kai for help, but he has none to offer. He’s already got his headphones in hand and travel pillow around his neck. “Have fun.”

Luke’s taking the first leg of their drive from Virginia to upstate New York with Kai riding shotgun. The rest pile into the back rows. Bonnie gravitates to the passenger door and taps her knuckle on the window. 

“Bon, it’s okay I leave my car here, right?” The tag-along shouts from the farthest row. “The keys are in the visor. Will you move it in time for street cleanings?” 

“Kill her,” Bonnie grumbles low enough for Kai to hear. “For me.”

He taps her nose. “I’d do it for shits and giggles.”

  
  
  


They’re not even over state lines before Elena starts documenting her _Summer of Fun_ on instagram. Bonnie can’t help but watch as she scrolls down her feed. They still follow each other from when they became roommates freshmen year. Only now she’s hanging out with her friends while Bonnie sits home watching netflix and eating cold leftovers.

For a moment, she almost regrets not going with them. Her summer courses are all online. Plenty of coffeeshops have free wifi nowadays. It would’ve been doable. Kai had even alluded to her coming with.

No. It’s better this way. Her and Kai already had classes and studied and now live together. Why mess up a good thing by overdosing on time spent with one another? Besides, she could get a start on her courseload and then head down to North Carolina when she finished.

An alert pops up on her screen. She swipes over to her inbox and sees a video sent from Elena. They’ve stopped for gas, and Kai throws the screen a sideways glance before the passenger window comes up between them comically slow. Elena flips the screen and rolls her chestnut eyes. “Is he always this moody?”

A gross feeling sinks in the pit of her stomach. Jealousy, spite, sadness, anxiety. She swallows and sends her fingers flying across the touchscreen keyboard. “You’ll get used to it.”

She thinks to add something more but instead tosses her phone to the other end of the couch. It vibrates and she hesitates to check what new message came in. 

It’s Nora: _If I drown precious Elena in this disgusting petrol station loo, how many years is that?_

That gets a grin out of the Bennett.

_You could’ve pleaded it down to 2nd degree murder...if you hadn’t texted me. Virginia has the death penalty, but I could argue for you to get life. Mind, it’s gonna go to federal court if you do it there and then cross state lines._

_I may be tempted to risk it._

Bonnie wonders why she wants to study law. She’s still an undergrad, but every miscarriage of justice she reads about — and there are myriad — she gets a little more hopeless. On good days, it kicks her in her ass and makes her work that much harder to get through school so she can enter the justice system and be the change she wants to see. 

This is not one of those days.

Today she wants loaded nachos and a gallon of chocolate ice cream and to curl on the couch watching shows about home renovations. But, first, the nachos. 

Skull Bar is crowded for a Saturday afternoon. Most people gravitate to Mystic Falls during the weekend and summer days. But the curly blonde bartender splits her time serving drinks and waiting tables. 

“You the only one on the schedule, Liv?” Bonnie wonders as her classmate rushes by. 

She throws her hands up in response. “No, just the only one who gave a damn and showed up!”

In the time she waits to order and be served, she nabs an empty booth and slumps while scrolling through her phone. She loses track of time when a guy with a Mystic Falls Grill t-shirt wraps a Skull Bar apron around his hips and gives her a lopsided smile.

“Are you waiting to order?”

Bonnie sits up. “Uh, I’m waiting on an order. Loaded nachos, extra jalapenos.” 

He promises to check on it before moving on to the next set of patrons. Her eyes follow him as he works the room. When Liv notices him, she has a short moment of relief before handing him a stack of receipts for him to sort. 

She’s never seen him before, but he isn’t hard to look at. Dark eyes with a boy next store kind of charm, not unlike Jeremy. But older. More secure in his posture. 

She shakes her head. She does not have the energy or time to entertain that particular train of thought. Instead, she returns to scrolling through Greytundra’s instagram page. 

Their tour started in Syracuse, New York, went to Boston and then down the coast. Tomorrow they’ll be Silver Springs, Maryland. Their dates have been mostly coastal shows, venues in walking distance of the Atlantic. Or of shopping. For every one band shot, there’s a touristy, bikini selfie on Elena’s personal page. 

The comments are always full of “more Kai!”, but Elena rarely posts any of him smiling or laughing or looking remotely happy. 

This is by design. 

Bonnie and Kai text back and forth every now and again, and he likes to go out of his way to seem miserable whenever there’s a camera in their “social media director’s” hand. He doesn’t exactly hate her. She’s “bothersome”, like a mosquito.

_It’s like either suck my blood or leave me the fuck alone!_

_You really want to give her those two options?_

A few weeks in, and he has yet to push her out onto the interstate, but he warns: _there’s still time._

Their gigs get bigger crowds. They play local clubs, so there’s already a ready-made audience at most of the bars. But kids out for the summer, students home for their break... Plus, the behind the scenes footage of soundchecks and traveling and how the band genuinely get along with one another. For better or worse, Elena’s social media savvy works. 

Bonnie feels a little left out, but she’s modules ahead in two of her classes and if she can time it right, she plans to meet the band for their show before the 4th of July when they stop in Wilmington, North Carolina — right down the road from her family. She and Mary Louise coordinated for the band to stay at the vineyard for the holiday weekend.

“Your nachos are gonna get cold.”

She starts and realizes the server from before is back again. His hand holds out her to-go bag. He’s probably been standing there for a minute. Bonnie flushes, tucking her cell phone in her back pocket. “I’m sorry. I completely zoned out.”

“Social media will do that to you. Which soul suck got you? Facebook? Twitter?”

Guilty, she bows her head. “Instagram.”

“Ah!” He chuckles. “I’ve wasted many nights stalking my ex’s new boyfriend.”

“How’d you learn to stop?”

“Who says I stopped?” He cracks another grin and Bonnie’s ears burn hot. “I’m Ben.”

“Bonnie.”

He slides in across from her and leans forward. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to the Bennetts from Mystic Falls, would you?”

“Why would you say that?” She frowns. He points to her shirt with VISIT BENNETTS in bold lettering. “ _Oh_.”

“Not to assume or anything.”

“No, uh- My mom’s side of the family is from there.”

“Well, not to fanboy, but people in my town _love_ your family’s wine. The Grill runs out of stock every other week.”

“Really?”

He nods fervently. 

“That’s nice to hear. I’ll let my Grams know.” 

“I’m not going to keep you from your nachos, but if you’re free later— I’ll make sure there’s a free drink here with your name on it.”

“Only if you get a second for yourself.”

_I hate her, but we might have to hire her._

The text from Nora precedes a link to a youtube video. It’s from the previous night’s show taken from the crowd. Each night Greytundra plays a cover and it’s different every time. Apparently someone was in a Radiohead mood because Kai sings _Idioteque_ to Nora’s steady drumming and Jeremy on an acoustic guitar. 

It’s early, so the video only has 300 views, but it grows steadily through the day. Sure, Bonnie keeps the video on repeat while studying and texting Ben, but it’s not just her watching. 

It’s a damn good cover. 

Every show gets a new post, every video getting more likes and views than the last. Kai makes good on his promise to take it easy on his shoulder. Whatever his stage presence pre-surgery, his subdued versions of their songs carry an emotional gravity she didn’t expect from the jock.

His version of Soundgarden’s _Black Hole Sun_ accompanied by Jeremy on acoustic guitar and Luke on keys causes goosebumps to break out on Bonnie’s skin. 

She likes to listen to Kai sing. At band practice, humming while making instant coffee, singing obnoxiously loud in the shower or mumbling through a melody while trying to write in his room, but this is a different side of him. A side she’ll always have to share with the world.

Scrolling through the comments on the latest tour photo, fans go back and forth over the theory that Kai and Elena are dating and that’s how she got to go on tour. It’s antithetical to their perceived chilliness, but that feeds the conspiracy. They’re obviously hiding their relationship because the band is getting its footing in the industry, and he has to seem accessible and attainable. 

_But notice how he always seems to be singing to the camera?_

She throws her phone away suddenly. A hot wave of heat flushes over her. Jealousy the likes of which she’s never felt before. Not when Elena initially tagged along on the tour or anytime she sneaks Kai in the background of a selfie. 

It’s an ugly feeling. She’s never been protective or even proprietary over him and she’s thrilled for the band. It’s akin to the outside looking in sensation she’s all too familiar with.

She blames social media. 

They can’t be dating. Kai would’ve said. Elena would’ve blabbed. Besides, she isn’t his type. 

She’s lying to herself. Of course Elena is his type. She’s everyone’s type. Model tall with swimsuit issue curves, long dark hair and skin that holds a tan really well. And she’s got that annoyingly relentlessness that Bonnie did not learn nor inherit. You just cave under her presence. Who wouldn’t give in to that?

Whatever, so what if they were dating? It’s none of Bonnie’s business. She stakes no claim on him. And vice versa. They’re just roommates. 

It goes against her three date rule, but technically dry humping isn’t sex. 

His nose buried in her neck, Ben lets out a throaty groan as she gyrates on his lap. Hot air brushes his ear as fingers card through his shaggy hair. 

His roommate is out of town for the weekend, so Bonnie swallowed her nerves and ventured to Mystic Falls to visit Ben at the Grill. He was so surprised to see her, he ditched his shift right then. From there, they ended up back at his place, on his couch. 

He grips her chin and kisses her with urgency, only making her grind down on him more. She can feel his erection between their layers of denim and underwear. If they keep at it, she’ll break her rule just to feel some relief. 

As the thought crosses her mind, he gasps in her face with hips bucking against her. She stills. She has a good idea what happened but doesn’t want to be the one to say it. The way he whispers “ _shiiit_ ” tells her exactly what she needs to know. 

Bonnie politely climbs off and drops at his side. “Do you-”

“I’ll be right back.” He rushes down the hallway before she can get another word out.

Hands cover her face as she slumps against the couch. It’s a thing that happens, but she didn’t think things were that intense. Heavy petting at best. Neither of them had even slipped their hands in the other’s pants yet. 

Granted, this is their first hook-up so maybe things went faster than they expected. They’d mostly hung out and kissed a few times. All things considered, it’s been pretty chaste.

Minutes pass before Ben reappears in a pair of loose basketball shorts. “Uh, I think maybe you should...go.”

“I-” Bonnie stands up. “You don’t have to be embarrassed or anything. It’s cool. It’s a totally normal thing that happens.”

“Not to me,” he interrupts. He crosses his arms. “And if we’re not gonna have sex, fooling around seems kind of pointless.”

Her mouth gapes open before she snaps it shut and moves to the door. She spins around. “I was two seconds away from saying to hell with the three date rule.”

“Oh, so this was all a test? Tease me as long as you wanted to see how long I stuck around?”

“Whoa. Okay, I barely know you and I’m just supposed to put out immediately? You know what, I will leave. And you can definitely delete my number. _Dick_.”

  
  
  


She fills up her gas tank and grabs a few snacks when she hits I-95, but she doesn’t stop until she rumbles over the well-worn dirt road leading to the vineyard. It’s past midnight, so she really hopes she can sneak in without waking anyone. 

When she parks in front of the white colonial house, the porch lights turn on. A woman steps out the front door and wraps a shawl around her shoulders. The closer Bonnie gets, she makes out her cousin Lucy and thanks her stars it’s not her grandmother. Or her mom. 

She sprints to her and is instantly enveloped in a warm hug. 

  
  
  


It’s late. Under the sheets of her bed Bonnie scrolls through instagram. Between Ben and impulsively driving three hours south to get away from him, she ignored her phone. Now tucked in after a crash therapy session with her cousin and a hot cup of tea, she cleaves the last bit of normalcy she’d pushed away.

The band played Savannah, Georgia and livestreamed their cover song. She clicks the saved live which opens with Luke behind his keyboard and Kai on a stool under a spotlight. The music starts in minor key, the melody ominous and slow. Then Kai sings in a deep timbre: _Imagine me and you. I do. I think about you day and night. It’s only right. To think about the girl you love and hold her tight. So happy together._

_If I should call you up - invest a dime. And you say you belong to me - and ease my mind. Imagine how the world could be. So very fine. So happy together._

It’s a somber rendition. Emotions bubble up in Bonnie’s chest before she can stop them. Missing Kai and Nora, her fight with Ben, her fear that maybe she missed her window of opportunity.... 

In the comfort of her childhood bedroom, she cries into her pillow. 

A week with her family does a lot of good. They fall back into old patterns. Cooking meals together, tending to the vineyard even when they have workers for the more manual labor, testing new flavors and creating concepts for the merchandising, enjoying the relentless summer heat from the shade of the screened-in porch, and toasting with the wine they cultivate themselves. It really is a reality worth trading in political science and law school for. But to have this, what would she have to give up? 

Jamie rides with her to Wilmington. It’s the day before the 4th and interstate traffic is bumper to bumper. A drive that normally takes less than an hour turns into an hour and half in the heat and humidity of the coast, but they get to catch up. 

Quickly covering their studies, Bonnie’s dreary poli-sci courses and Jamie’s classes in horticultural technology, they get into the meat of what they both want to get off their chest. 

Jamie met a girl. 

“Shocker,” Bonnie deadpans, glare on the car in front who keeps brake-checking them. 

“No, I mean I _met,_ met a girl.”

She glimpses over at him. His light eyes are stern with earnest. “Holy shit. James Wilson! Who is she? Tell me all about her! We could’ve invited her to the show!” 

They’re close in age, but Bonnie has always been protective of him. Not in a sibling way. No, that was never on the table for them. She wasn’t around long enough, just for holiday and summer breaks. Beside, they were secretly each other’s first because what else was to be expected of two teens familiar with and attracted to one another?

Nothing more came of their tryst beyond an experience shared and a friendship solidified. Plus, it was messy and awkward, a lot of teeth clacking and limbs jutting. 

They _get_ each other now. So, Jamie meeting a girl he’s serious about is big. 

Jamie spills about the engineer he’s been seeing. A dark-skinned woman who is whip smart and doesn’t take any shit. They haven’t known each other long, but she’s met the Bennetts and got their seal of approval. 

He finally turns to Bonnie. “What about you?”

“There’s a guy. I think.”

“Wouldn’t happen to be one of the guys in this band we’re going to see?”

She shrugs. “It’s complicated. Plus, he’s my roommate, but I don’t think I’m his type.”

“So you psychobabbled yourself out of it already. Before he even got a chance? Poor guy.”

“I did not-”

“The classic Bonnie Bennett psych-out. You absolutely did!”

“You’ve been hanging around Lucy too much because you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I do, and you know it.” He knowingly raises his eyebrows when she glances his way. 

Okay, so maybe their mutual understanding was a little less mutual and more Bonnie freaking out from how much she liked Jamie but not wanting them to get in trouble or mess up the dynamic they have with him and her family. Maybe Jamie went along with it because he cared too much for her to be selfish. 

“Whatever.” She rolls her eyes and focuses on the road. “I’ve got way too much school ahead of me to worry myself sick over some guy.” She means Kai, she thinks, but Ben comes to mind as well. 

“Some guy? Wow. you’ve already distanced him that far away, huh?”

“Uh, are you an agriculturalist or a psychiatrist?” 

“ _Horticulture_.”

“Then maybe mind your plant business.”

“Watch out, guys and gals. Bennett's got thorns.”

  
  
  


A bar sandwiches in a small tattoo parlor with a real estate office. The Carolinian riverfront is crowded with tourists and locals shopping and sight-seeing. Stepping out of the bar, Nora spots Bonnie as she’s filling the parking meter and makes a run for it. The brunette tackles the smaller woman, her hug pinning Bonnie between her body and the side of the small sedan. 

“We’ve missed you!” she breathes. Bonnie isn’t sure who “we” means but has a pretty good guess. Still, she grins and hugs her friend back with equal ferocity. 

Just in time for soundcheck, they’re escorted inside bypassing a short line of curious fans. 

When she spies Bonnie, Mary Louise rounds the merch table. Though the two aren’t as close as Bonnie is with her girlfriend, they’ve found they work well together. Bonnie often helped scout cheap motels or Air BNBs for last minute gigs, and there were a handful, as well as suggest sites where they could get quickly made shirts and pins and hats to sell at shows. It’s helped with their cashflow and promotion.

They hug and the blonde tosses her two wristbands so security won’t treat Bonnie and Jamie like the general crowd.

The two guests fit their neon yellow bands around their wrists when strong arms wrap around Bonnie’s middle and twirl her around. She yells out his name in surprise, the broad chest she’s pressed against firm and warm. Once back on her feet, she spins to hug Kai properly, who welcomes the embrace. 

“You went off the grid for a while.”

“Nah. You were just getting so popular, you didn’t have time for little ‘ol me.”

“Never,” he promises before letting her go. Introductions are made with Jamie and the rest of the band, Luke and Jeremy coming over for the mini reunion, but Kai’s attention never leaves Bonnie. “You are staying for soundcheck.”

His grey eyes are full of _something_ she hasn’t seen in all the pictures from the tour.

“I was gonna peek next store. Debating on getting some ink,” she smirks. “But since you asked so nicely…”

“Add to the family later. I’ll even hold your hand.” He winks.

“Add to what?” Jamie asks in her ear. 

“Long story,” Bonnie mumbles, hiding her blush. 

Jamie and Bonnie used to do everything together. Go to theme parks, movies, concerts, festivals. But tonight Bonnie is the guest of honor. This is the show Bonnie planned to meet up with the band, so each member dons their Bennett Vineyard & Winery shirt she gifted them, shirts they’ve shown off on their social media to drum up business.

The soundcheck goes great, Kai often sneaking peeks at her while she nurses a whiskey ginger. Jamie seems to vibe with their music, which is a good sign. He’s a hard one to please. She gets the option to watch from the green room, the side of the stage, or in the crowd, but she wants the full experience. 

At some point, Elena joins Bonnie at the barricades. Turns out, her and Mary Louise trade off recording duties, but she wants to show her old roommate the tattoo she just got- a tiny butterfly on her wrist meant to symbolize of her _Summer of Freedom_. 

She gives no inclination of any draw between her and Kai, instead gushing about how much she loves being single and answering to no guy and seeing her little brother thrive in a non-school setting. How he even has a “lady friend”, a girl, Anna, who Bonnie met before the show. Apparently they’d struck up a friendship online and she’d come out to a show when they passed through Maryland, even driving to attend this show.

It makes Bonnie feel silly. Like, all her worrying may have been for nothing. Then again, she looks around her and knows she’s not the only one with eyes on the lead singer.

Unlike their previous shows, the whole band stays on stage for their cover. Opting for an upbeat song, they perform Eddie Money’s “Take Me Out Tonight”. The audience, far more teenage girls than their earlier shows, bounce and sing along to the 80s classic. It gets the beach crowd going. 

He croons _Take me home tonight, I don’t want to let you go ‘til you see the light,_ while Nora chimes in with Ronnie Spector’s famous line, _Be my little baby_ from behind her drum kit.

Slate eyes never leave Bonnie even after the song ends. 

  
  
  


It’s only the 3rd but fireworks go off over the bay. Bonnie tries not to flinch, squeezing Kai’s hand tighter. “If it hurts, just say so.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” she grits. “It-” She seizes momentarily, fingernails digging into the back of his hand. “It tickles.”

Kai squeezes back against her tight grip to ground her. “No one said you had to get it on your ankle.”

The tattoo artist, a gruff man with red facial hair not unlike ZZ Top, looks back and forth between the two, his gun hovering over her foot. Bonnie nods, signaling for him to continue. 

“I’m gonna be a lawyer. I have to be able to hide it.”

“I doubt your abilities in a court of law will be diminished if your opposition finds out you have a teeny tiny grape vine. Should’ve gotten a Greytundra lyric. I have a whole notebook full of good lines.”

“You wish,” she snorts. “That’s groupie level and I- am no groupie.”

He rests his chin on the chair and gazes down at her. “We missed you, you know.”

“We?”

With his free hand, he touches the tip of his finger to his nose. Looking up at him, Bonnie grins. “Looked like you guys had a blast without me.”

“Would’ve been even more of a blasty-blast with you.”

“Eh… Couldn’t have me cramping Greytundra’s style.”

“Next summer, then,” he decides. She frowns but he doesn’t elaborate. 

The dark field encroaches on its small visitor. It’s almost a full moon, so there is no need for a flashlight. Not that Bonnie plans to explore the aisles at this time of night. She missed being here is all. Being one with the land, with nature. Seeing what the earth can do when its treated with respect, what one’s hard work can yield.

She’s not alone. Kai removes himself from the small afterparty happening in the guest ranch house to join her at the edge of the field. Jamie snagged t-shirts from the gift shop for everyone, Kai donning his with a pair of cargo shorts and combat boots undone. Bonnie drowns in her own shirt, a pair of bicycle shorts barely visible under the hem. 

He stands astride her and looks out at the vineyard. It’s one large plot in a sea of plots, each section a different strain of grape. “It’s bigger than I thought. I dunno what I thought, but this definitely exceeds it.”

“We all have our legacies.”

He turns to her, his brow clenched. “I gotta be honest- This is not how I expected my summer to go. I thought I’d get more time with you.”

The corner of her mouth quivers. “It’s only the start of July. And don’t forget, we live together. You’re not getting rid of me any time soon, Parker. At least, I hope.”

He turns back to the field. “I think maybe I messed up.”

She pivots to face him, but he keeps his eyes forward. “I didn’t- I wanted to-” He clears his throat. She’s never seen Kai emotional. Sure, when he sings, she _feels_ it. But the self-deprecating jock hasn’t been the smoothest with words. “I like you, Bonnie, and I think I fucked up trying to show you that.”

A breath hiccups in her chest. “I like you, too.”

“I sang all those songs thinking about you, even the super cheesy ones.”

“They weren’t cheesy.”

“Not even when I sang The Smiths?”

She ducks her head. His version of “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” performed early in the tour is one of her favorite. “You’re no Morrissey, but… To be honest, I started to wonder if you and Elena were a thing.”

“ _Her_?” The incredulity in his tone tells her exactly what she should’ve known.

“What? Can you blame me? She’s everybody’s type.”

“Not mine.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m into nerds. Librarian hot ones who refuse to be my band’s groupie. It especially gets me going when they eat pickles spears right out of the jar and pair them with their weird grape wine.”

Her nose wrinkling, she bats at his chest. He’s quicker, grabbing her wrists and pulling her close. “Whatever, you love my weird grape wine.”

“It grows on you.” Bonnie’s gaze dips to Kai’s lips, which he licks in anticipation. Then he says, “I’d kiss you right now, but I’m pretty sure your Grams is watching us from her bedroom window.”

“Mm,” she nods, not needing to turn to know it’s definitely true. “I’m pretty sure you’re right.”

  
  
  


He stands by the cooler, his bottle of beer almost empty. Bonnie sneaks up behind him and interlocks their fingers before pulling him along with her. He doesn’t make a fuss, only glancing back once. 

Every year, the Bennetts have a cookout for family and neighbors, so after a big breakfast for the band, everyone split off. Lucy took Greytundra on a private tour of the winery, while Bonnie and Elena went into town with Abby to get supplies. Sheila bossed everyone around as they cooked and set up. The Martins, who own the farm next to them, then brought over a yield of spring fruits and veggies and the meat to throw on the grill.

Jamie’s lady friend Tiki showed up as well as Anna, who Bonnie invited since she drove all this way. It’s a lot to do, and Bonnie and Kai did little of it together. When there’s a window of opportunity, she takes it.

No one notices them leave. 

The gift shop is a small building off the main house. She locks the door behind them and opts to leave the lights off. She hops up on the counter next to the register while Kai meanders through the racks of novelty apparel. 

“You guys have got quite the place here. Remind me to ask your Grams about advice on a business plan. Might need it for my senior thesis.”

“Kai…” Bonnie holds her hand out and beckons him to her. She doesn’t want to talk shop right now.

He approaches her, situates himself between her legs. Palms fall on his chest while his hands rest on her thighs. Her black sundress is polka dotted with cherries. “You look very pretty today.”

“Are you gonna talk or are you going to kiss me?”

Heavy lidded eyes fall on her plump lips before he dips to kiss her. She breathes him in, fingers gripping his shirt and legs hooking around his hips to bring him closer. Their mouths move together, touches tentative with each passing moment becoming more fervid. 

“Wait.” She pushes him away. “I should tell you-”

“I don’t care.” He presses a quick peck to her lips then nuzzles the side of her face. Buried in a curtain of curls, his nose grazes the column of her throat. “Whoever he is, it’s his loss.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“I am… But I also plan to break his jaw on principle,” he says before cupping her face and pulling her in for another kiss. 

“That’s a little extreme.”

He pulls back, his lips mid-pucker. “I mean, I spoke to Lucy earlier and she told me some things. What’s that saying? _Let the punishment fit the crime_?”

“How chivalrous.”

“I aim to please.” 

Tired of talking, Bonnie tugs his shirt upwards. “Then, _please_.”


End file.
